I am Not Calling you Racist, I am Calling you Out
Fury Basso-Davis | November 6, 2024
The Boston Medical Center describes performative activism as activism that is done to increase one’s social status instead of one’s devotion to a cause. A person who is taking part in performative activism would rather let it be known that they are not racist (sexist, homophobic, etc.) rather than seeking to change the racist structures within our country. Although this act might not seem like a pressing issue, in reality, it is. Performative activism is dangerous to causes because it takes the attention away from the actual movement, putting the focus on the individual.
In May 2020, George Floyd was killed by police officers over a suspected counterfeit $20 bill. Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than 9 minutes as Floyd repeated he could not breathe. After his death, protests roared over the United States (U.S.). On social media, the video of Floyd’s murder circulated for weeks as the protests continued. Black men, women and children were subjected to seeing his death over and over again both online and on television.
During these trying times, millions of people took to social media to protest the mistreatment inflicted on Floyd, but with that came thousands of Instagram infographics being posted on pages with millions of followers or on social media stories. Because of the influx of new information, people were quickly pushed out, and there was a lack of education behind them. Although people online were learning how systems and institutions affected Black people in America, they might not have been putting in effort to educate themselves outside of that.
On the Warren Wilson College (WWC) campus, performative activism is a serious issue. As a sociology and communications major, I have heard my professors say over again that white people uphold and create the systems that oppress others. However, those words may have fallen upon people who choose not to take accountability. Being at this school, or any liberal arts school for that matter does not mean that you are not part of a problem. The “Warren Wilson Bubble” is a term I have heard used many times around campus. WWC in a way is a haven for queer people, but like all places, it has its faults. Even in the most inclusive places, there is exclusion. Students of color have had a very different experience than their white counterparts, myself included.
In one of my classes, we, rather myself, the professor, and the other two students of color, discussed Black feminism and womanism. While this class took place, there was an uncomfortable silence among my white peers, leaving me and the two other students to pick up their slack. We were put into small groups to discuss what changes need to be made in academia to make them more inclusive and to own up to past mistakes and the “Warren Wilson Bubble” was mentioned. As a queer person, I understand how important it is to have a safe and inclusive environment, but as a Black person, I can see the lack of intersectionality in our school. It is easy to ignore or not even realize when it is not something that is constantly on your mind.
To pride yourself on your participation in social justice movements, but ignore the privilege you have to not even realize that the lack of People of Color (POC) in your classrooms and the rest of the community is rooted in ignorance.
In the class after that, I was not sure what to expect, but I hoped I was wrong about my peers. I was not. The same people who looked so uncomfortable the week before suddenly had so much to say about the marginalization that women face. Sadly this was not the first time I had experienced this in a classroom at WWC.
Although WWC prides itself on the inclusivity it promotes, it fails to walk the walk. When was the last time you included a POC in your political conversations? How many POC are you friends with on this campus? Not acquaintances, friends. When you see a Black man on this campus, what is the first thing you assume about him? Is it that he is an athlete? More specifically do you think he plays basketball?
Even though you go to this school and think that all people deserve rights does not mean your work is done. College is a place of higher education, but that education does not stop once you graduate. If you are not having uncomfortable conversations inside of classrooms, how can you have them outside? How can you think of yourself as an ally when you are not putting in the work? Reading Instagram infographics about racism is simply not enough, reading about it does not mean you are educated and having POC carry the uncomfortable conversations you do not want to have makes you performative. You can claim to be an ally all you want, but when you are silent, it speaks louder than words. It shows that you would only go so far to protect the people you claim to empathize with.